Plate trueing or flattening machine

ABSTRACT

A PLATE TRUEING OR FLATTENING MACHINE IS PROVIDED WITH AN INDIVIDUAL DRIVE FOR EACH OF THE TRUEING ROLLS. EACH DRIVING MOTOR IS SELECTED ACCORDING TO THE LOAD ON THE RESPECTIVE ROLL AND THE DRIVING MOTOR AND A REDUCTION GEAR ARE CARRIED BY TILTABLY SUPPORTED BEARING CASINGS.

Jan. 5, 1971 P. HAM ACHER 3,552,172

PLATE TRUEING OR FLATTENING MACHINE Filed May 25, 1967 United States Patent Int. 01. B21b 35/00 US. Cl. 72--249 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plate trueing or flattening machine is provided with an individual drive for each of the trueing rolls. Each driving motor is selected according to the load on the respective roll and the driving motor and a reduction gear are carried by tiltably supported bearing casings.

The present invention relates to plate trueing or flattening machines and is especially concerned with the arrangement of the drives for the rolls of such machines. Group driving of the rolls of plate trueing or flattening machines is normally adopted using a driving box stand connected to the rolls by means of jointed spindles.

lSince one must allow for the fact that the rolls are overloaded on the entry side in particular if they are set too close, for example if a severely deformed forward plate edge strikes against the first trueing rolls, at least the driving trains for the first trueing rolls, that is to say the bearing necks, the jointed spindles and the driving boxes must be designed to absorb the whole installed driving power. For reasons of production all the driving trains are similarly dimensioned. From this it follows that the axial spacings of the driving boxes are greater than the spacing of the associated trueing rolls which can be recognized from the fact that the jointed spindles of the trueing rolls diverge at the entry and exit rides. Jointed spindles must be provided since the trueing rolls are adjustable relatively to the support rolls and also their flexure must be taken into account.

\Althou'gh with trueing means for steel bars and tubes individual drive of the rolls is already known, this space saving method of drive has not previously been utilised in plate trueing or flattening machines. Probably this was because it was considered that the bearing neciks of each trueing roll must be proportioned to receive the whole driving torque and thus have a diameter which would make it impossible to provide the space for an individual drive of the closely adjacent trueing rolls. Considerations of the strength of the driving trains corresponding to the installed total load is however only a consequence of the group drive.

It has been recognised that individual drive of the trueing rolls of a plate trueing or flattening machine is possible if the installed load of each electric motor is limited corresponding to the maximum trueing pressure of each trueing roll. Thereby the bearing neck diameters of the trueing rolls are reduced so that, within the bearing casing the dimensions of which are determined by the axial spacing of the trueing rolls, space is left for a reduction gear or at least for the dinal gear wheel of a reduction gear. In order now to ensure constant tooth engagement conditions even with flexure of the trueing rolls which in known manner are supported in tilting bearing housings, the invention is completed by the consideration that the motors and drives are carried by the bearing housings which are arranged for tipping movement. Both the aforesaid features, namely the limitation of the individual motor load as well as the arrangement of the motors and gears exclusively on the tiltable bearing housings are necessary for carrying out the invention.

Although a pair of spur gears may be used for the reduction of the motor speed according to the invention, which leads to an oflsetting of the motor spindle relatively to the axis of the trueing rolls, it is preferred to use as the reduction gear according to the invention a spacesaving epicyclic gear drive of which the stationery inner toothed member is arranged on a cover of the bearing casing which is centered in the bore of the bearing casing and serves for mounting the electric motor and of which the second internal toothed member representing the take-off drive is arranged on an intermediate member connected to the bearing pin or neck of the trueing roll by means of a multiple splined toothed connection in a non-rotatable way.

One constructional example of an individual drive for the trueing rolls of a plate trueing or flattening machine with an epicyclic gear drive is shown in section through one bearing point of one trueing roll on the accompanying drawing.

In the construction shown on the drawing a number of leveling rolls are mounted in a suitable frame in accordance with the usual practice in the art, and accordingly two rolls 1 and 2 arranged in staggered relationship will be seen together with the supporting means indicated only in part. The driving means for the leveling roll 1 are shown in section fitted within the respective bearing casing 3. A further trueing roll 2 is shown which lies somewhat behind the plane of the drawing and is supported in a bearing casing 4. Of course further rolls may be provided in accordance with normal practice. The two bearing casings 3 and 4 support the roll necks 1a by means of roller or other anti-friction bearings 5 and the bearing casings 3 and 4 are supported by means of pressure pads 6 and 7 having spherical outer surfaces. This mounting of the bearing casings is known in the art and has not therefore been shown in detail.

In the construction according to the invention each leveling roll has an individual drive consisting of an electric motor 8 a mounting flange of which is bolted to a cover 9 closing a bore 3a of the bearing casing 3 and centered therein as well as an epicyclic gear drive with a rotating cage member 10.

The drive is thus fitted into the bore 3a in the casing and includes a stationary inner toothed member 11 on the cover 9 and a second inner toothed member 12 representing the drive is formed on a sleeve-shaped intermediate member 13 which is non-rotatably connected to the roll neck 1a by means of a multiple spline joint 14.

The internal toothed members 11 and 12 lie one beside the other and are spanned by a series of planetary gear wheels 15 supported in a freely rotatable cage 10. Conveniently three planetary wheels 15 are provided, only one of which is shown in the drawing. The three planetary wheels 15 are engaged by a centrally positioned sun wheel 18 mounted on the shaft 12 of the motor 8. The cage 10 is provided with transverse spindles 16 on which the planetary wheels 15 are mounted and is not otherwise supported. The inner toothed members 11 and 12 have different numbers of teeth differing conveniently for example by one so that when the motor 8 is in operation the sun wheel 18 drives the planetary wheels 15 causing rotation of the cage 10 in the same direction by virtue of their engagement with the toothed member 11. The engagement of the planetary gear wheels 15 with the toothed member 12 further causes the latter to rotate by one tooth pitch space for each revolution of the cage 10 and hence the intermediate member 13 carrying the toothed member 12 is rotated with a substantial reduction ratio. This rotation is transmitted through the spline connection 14 to the roll neck 1a and thence to the roll 1. The motors 8 for each of the rolls may be selected according to the expected loading of each leveling roll without reference to the loading of the other rolls.

What I claim is:

1. In a multiple roll plate leveling machine of the type having a plurality of upper and lower working rolls arranged in staggered relationship with the ends of each of said working rolls rotatably supported in tiltably mounted bearing casings, the improvement which comprises a driving motor having a shaft for each of said working rolls, means for mounting said driving motor on one of said bearing casings for each of said working rolls for tilting movement with said one bearing casing, reduction gear means in said one bearing casing drivably connecting said motor shaft to the associated working roll, each of said driving motors having a selected power output corresponding to the load on said associated working roll independently of the load on the other working rolls.

2. A multiple roll plate leveling machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said driving motor shaft is disposed in co-axial alignment with said associated working roll and said working roll is provided with a roll neck and wherein said reduction gear means comprises an epicyclic reduction gear drive.

3. A multiple roll plate leveling machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein said one bearing casing is provided with a bore extending through said casing and wherein said associated working roll neck extends within said one bearing casing bore and including a bearing in said one bearing casing bore for rotatably supporting said working roll neck in said bearing casing and wherein said driving motor mounting means includes a cover positioned in closing relationship with one end of said bearing casing bore for supporting said driving motor on said bearing casing.

4. A multiple roll plate leveling machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein said epicyclic reduction gear drive includes a driven, sleeve-shaped, intermediate member rotatably positioned in said one bearing casing and a multiple spline joint for drivably interconnecting said intermediate member with said associated working roll neck.

5. A multiple roll plate leveling machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein said epicyclic reduction gear drive comprises a rotary cage having a plurality of circumferentially spaced spindles, a planetary gear wheel mounted on each of said spindles within said cage, a sun wheel mounted on said motor drive shaft in meshing engagement with said planetary gear wheels, a stationary internally toothed member positioned in said one bearing casing, a rotatably mounted internally toothed member positioned in said one bearing casing in longitudinally spaced, axially aligned relationship with said stationary member and operatively connected to said roll neck, both of said internally toothed members being arranged in simultaneous meshing engagement with said planetary gear wheels and provided with different numbers of teeth.

6. A multiple roll plate leveling machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said one bearing casing is provided with a bore extending through said casing and wherein said driving motor is an electric motor and wherein said driving motor mounting means includes a cover having an internally toothed member positioned in closing relationship with one end of said bearing casing bore with said electric motor secured to said cover in co-axial alignment with said associated working roll provided with a roll neck, a bearing in said casing bore for rotatably supporting said working roll neck in said casing bore, an intermediate driving sleeve including an internally toothed member rotatably positioned in said casing bore adjacent said internally toothed member on said cover means for drivably connecting said intermediate driving sleeve to said roll neck, a freely rotatable cage having a plurality of circumferentially spaced spindles positioned in said bearing casing bore, a planetary gear wheel mounted on each of said spindles within said cage arranged in simultaneous driving engagement with both of said internally toothed members, a sun wheel mounted on said motor drive shaft in meshing engagement with said planetary gear wheels, said internally toothed members having numbers of teeth differing by one tooth whereby rotation of said cage by said motor shaft advances said intermediate driving sleeve one pitch space for each revolution of said cage for driving said associated working roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,123,754 7/1938 Talbot 72237 2,583,935 1/1952 Falk 72249 2,837,763 7/1958 Whittum 72249 3,172,313 3/1965 Fox 72241 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner B. I. MUSTAIKIS, Assistant Examiner 

